Crumbling Lies
by SugarRides
Summary: Doug could smell the smoke before he saw it. The distant scent of charred wood and grass wafting in the air seemed harmless, pleasant almost, as travelers and merchants often made camp in the peace of Autumn Road before reaching the nearby town of Selphia.
1. Chapter 1

_**A:N: Hey all! I was in the middle of writing the latest chapter for this series and ended up going back through some of the older chapters (and the game) to get a feel of where I was going with this and I was kind of appalled by it? To be fair I was still trying to figure out my voice and how to write but still I apologize to my followers that read the previous version (seriously, omg you guys are saints). I have since revised and updated this chapter and will be doing so with the other chapters as well to fit a much more experienced voice! I hope you enjoy!**_

Doug could smell the smoke before he saw it.

The distant scent of charred wood and grass wafting in the air seemed harmless, pleasant almost, as travelers and merchants often made camp in the peace of Autumn Road before reaching the nearby town of Selphia.

However, as Doug pulled through a dense cluster of fall colored trees and into a clearing, a heavy stone dropped to the pit of his stomach at the sight of a sinister column of smoke too thick for a lone campfire.

With unparalleled speed, Doug swung himself atop his father's painted mare, the one he had been assigned to guide home from the Monster Expert's house, before skillfully twisting the leather reins in his hands and giving it an urgent click to the side, forcing it into a gallop.

Panic seized him, his anxiety spiraling almost painfully throughout his system as the hoofbeats of his steed began to match the pace of his heart. His breath coming in pants as his body demanded more and more oxygen and with another click to the horse's side, urged it into a sprint that was almost too much to control.

It wasn't much farther now, his village had just been a short distance away from the clearing, and as he began to near it, felt the pace he set begin to slow, the ground beneath them becoming more uneven than before.

Guiding his mare through the thickened undergrowth, Doug heard the disturbing sounds of frightened animals start to near them and in an instant monsters and creatures of various sizes broke through the orange shrubs and trees.

With a whinny of dismay his horse began to back up, spooked by the local wildlife as Doug moved forward to soothe them with a gentle rub to the neck, attempting to reassure it.

Desperately trying to calm the grim thoughts that had begun to ensnare his mind, Doug waited for a break inbetween the stampeding animals before snapping the reigns once more.

Less than a mile in, smoke seemed to lay claim to everything in the surrounding area, flaring up into Doug's nostrils as he began to cough at the suffocating odor. Involuntary tears springing up in his silver eyes as he attempted to relieve the tight burning sensation within his chest, covering his nose briefly to try to obtain some relief.

Dark smoke billowed menacingly around him despite the thundering pace of his steed and Doug hoped with all of his being that he hadn't arrived too late. That everyone in the village if not everything would still be safe somehow.

As a wall made of thick stone became visible, Doug steered the mare to the side, aiming to circle around to the entrance that was closest to his house when a rush of smoke pulled him into another coughing fit.

For a brief moment Doug closed his eyes, dealing with the worst of the smoke inhalation, before reopening them as terror swiftly shackled itself to him.

There at the entrance, the Dwarven village, his home, was nothing but a wall of fire.

Angry flames licked the edges of the stone wall that surrounded the entirety of the village, the wooden entrance now a pile of blackened ash as an insufferable heat raged outwards.

Utterly distraught by the disturbing imagery, Doug didn't notice the tree above him had been set aflame. Only the sound of a sharp crack from the burning branch gave him any warning before it fell, crashing heavily in front of him in a display of sparks.

His horse reared, thoroughly frightened and with only half of his attention geared toward the animal, he failed to regain control, the reigns slipping from his hands.

He fell hard, scraping his palms along pebbled earth as a sharp pain shot up his left arm forcing him to buckle over and cry out in pain. Then, with no time to recover from his clumsy landing, Doug felt the ground beneath him begin to shake, issuing him just enough warning to roll out of the way of his rogue steed, barely escaping being trampled.

"Damn it!" Doug cried out in frustration, pulling himself up off the ground as he gingerly stretched his left arm, flexing his fingers experimentally to be sure that he hadn't broken anything before rushing to the heart of the village.

Half blind and practically suffocated at the hands of the ever present black smoke, Doug attempted to search fast, darting his eyes around his neighbor's homes in hopes to see a familiar face or at the very least find someone retreating out of the fire.

Yet, he found no one.

It was almost a relief, perhaps they had already evacuated and he had been panicked over nothing.

That's when familiar screams touched Doug's ears, the source only a few yards away and upon shifting his gaze felt adrenaline spread through him anew as he swiftly approached the remains of his childhood home.

"Mom! Dad! Are you in there?" Doug yelled, alarm apparent in his words as he gripped the hot doorknob. Yanking with all his might and blistering his hand in the process, he released it to bang his fists against the stubbornly stuck door.

It refused to budge, the thick wood of the door acting against him as Doug tried the warmed handle once more.

It felt like it had been locked, his parents never thought to lock their house during the day, even during the evening was a rare occurrence so why?

Were they somehow barricaded inside? Unable to free themselves?

"Doug!" A female cry answered, though it was muffled by the sound of roaring fire and crackling wood Doug knew it to be his mothers.

"Damn it, open!" he growled, throwing himself into the door, urgency surging within him, encouraging him to break it down but the wood held fast.

With a scream of agitation, he thrust his leg forward, kicking the door in by dismantling the doorknob, allowing just enough leverage for it to be opened. With a blast of heat, the door swung open violently as flames rushed to spill out causing Doug to shield his face to protect himself with his uninjured arm.

"Mom, where are you?" he yelled, eyes desperate to see through the unyielding heat of the flames.

Then, with a disturbingly loud crack, a burning support beam fell in front of the door, blocking further passage, not allowing him to receive any other answer than an agonized scream.

Before Doug could grab the support beam to try to force his way inside, large, foreign hands gripped him around the shoulders, tossing him to the side as if he were a lightweight ragdoll.

Springing up from the ungraceful tumble Doug noticed several soldiers in thick armor run past him, yelling out orders to one another, yet despite the oddity he chose to ignore them in favor of the sight of his home.

His eyes met up with the flaming entrance to his house, intent on running through the fire to rescue his mother but the sound of an eerie creak gave him pause.

The entire front of the house seemed to waver, as if being pushed forward and in a rush of ash and smoke it collapsed before him.

Doug hadn't realized he was screaming until a soldier yanked him around the waist, meaning to pick him up but doing it so roughly that it pushed the air out of his lungs.

"Come on kid, snap out of it! You need to get out of here!" The soldier yelled, struggling to be heard over Doug's persistent cries of grief.

Tears spilled over Doug's cheeks, blurring his vision considerably but he did not protest as the soldier locked his arms around him to help him stumble back to the front entrance.

A few moments later, they were out of the village and were being helped into a small camp where several battle mages surrounded the stone wall, fighting the growing flames.

Doug hardly noticed the change in location as he was gently set down on the ground, a solider or two barking rough sounding words at him yet he couldn't find it within himself to offer a reaction.

Everything felt to warm, to wrong.

This shouldn't be happening.

This couldn't be _real_.

A wave of cold struck Doug as a bucket of water was thrown onto him by one of the soldiers, then they did it again, the chill of it snapping him back to reality.

Brushing his red bangs from his eyes to take in his surroundings, Doug turned his head to observe the many mage's that surrounded the main entrance of his village. Utilizing the rock wall as their only line of defense, they continued to cast Water Laser an exhaustive amount of times, all in hopes to tame the hungry fire.

Encompassing Doug were several soldiers and judging by their armor and the colors they wore, they were from Sech Empire, the neighboring kingdom.

The man that had saved him, a Sech soldier with armor that covered most of his face, reached out to offer Doug a canteen of water, a damp cloth in his other hand.

"You're really lucky you know that, kid? If we hadn't caught sight of you during our retreat you could have been crushed." The soldier scolded as Doug attempted to accept the water but accidentally spilled it, his hands shaking so violently from the onslaught of emotions running through him.

"Please, do you know if anyone in that village made it out alive?" He asked, his voice hoarse from all his previous screaming.

The soldier seemed to ponder answering for a moment, a sympathetic silence emanating from him before slapping the damp cloth gently onto Doug's face.

"Would you please worry about yourself for a second? You're an absolute mess." The solider complained as Doug ripped the cloth off his face, unintentionally smearing soot across his light skin.

"I don't give a damn what I look like, this is my village, I need to know what happened!" Doug raged, his grief briefly replaced by anger and the soldier sighed before turning away.

"I'm sorry to break it to you but…" he paused for a moment, as if resentful that he had to be the one to deliver such news. "No survivors were found…'cept you. We arrived too late to help anyone."

The surrounding soldiers that had been listening in on their conversation turned away then, obviously not wanting to witness Doug's reaction to the grim news.

"No, that can't be right. My whole clan is just…gone?" his voice broke upon the last word, ice injecting itself into his veins, forcing him into a numbness unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Thoroughly stunned, he shook his head.

"H-How could something like this happen?" Doug asked the solider, his voice raised, but whether it was from rage, or sadness he couldn't be sure.

Fresh tears sprung into his eyes at the man's lack of answer, the foreboding noise of his mother's last screams entering his head, making him want to cover his ears.

He had been so close to saving her…and what about his father?

Had he succumbed to the smoke within the house before his mother? Did he leave her to suffer the fate of being consumed by that inferno alone?

The thought terrified him.

"Ventuswill is what happened, boy." A gruff voice sounded from behind him, and in an instant, all of the surrounding soldiers were on their feet and at attention, their hands formed into a respectable salute.

Doug turned slowly, still feeling to numb to stand up properly as he faced the owner of the voice.

An older man, sporting a long white beard with matching hair that lingered at his waist had been the one. Clad in blue and gold robes with a fluffy fur collar protecting his neck, he greeted Doug with a curt nod, his mouth pulled into a tight line.

The appearance alone was enough to make Doug's mouth run dry, he recognized this man instantly.

Emperor Ethelbert.

Ruler of the Sech Empire.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Ah, yes, the second revision! This is a lot nicer to read than the old version. I'll be proceeding with chapter updates accordingly now, hope you enjoy!**_

It was still winter when Doug arrived in Selphia.

Stuck with nothing but a sword and the clothes on his back as well as a few bruises from his final training at the Empire, he aimed to make the most of it.

After all, the Emperor had been gracious enough to provide him shelter and allow him to hone his skills alongside the soldiers within the Sech Territory for several months. However, in return for this kindness, Doug had been tasked with destroying the bridge to Autumn Road as well as felling the Native Dragon known as Ventuswill.

It bore no consequence to him of what the Emperor might have asked of him, he would have readily suffered his debt to the Empire as long as he needed too. Yet the fact remained that he had been granted the opportunity to fulfill his quest of vengeance and that was nothing short of a respectable decision.

During his travels, Doug had found the destruction of the bridge to be quite troublesome, the snow making it near impossible to burn the bridge with magic, much less dispose of it discreetly without the aid of explosives.

Then after a few days of grueling work consisting of cutting ropes, removing nails, as well as digging out the stakes that held the bridge together, Doug had completely dismantled the bridge. His only other hurdle had been the support beams beneath it, but even then, he had been successful, able to snap them beyond repair by utilizing his weight and a few basic spells.

The rest of the time spent during his journey had been dedicated to thinking.

While he was grateful that he had received the honor of destroying the dragon that had burned his village to the ground Doug couldn't shake the unbearable loneliness that had consumed his life since.

Thanks to one evening of fire, he had been left to face the reality that he was one of the only Dwarves left of his tribe bordering between the Kingdom of Norad and the Sech Empire. In an act of desperation he had sent countless messages to his connections within the Sech's military, even interrogated travelers that he'd come across in hopes of obtaining any information on potential survivors.

Still, every lead he had obtained turned up dry.

No dwarf between either kingdoms possessed eyes of silver, a trademark that only existed within his clan, leaving him with no other choice but to accept his unfortunate singularity. It often made him feel isolated, and empty to the point of being careless, to have a clan of people vanish within moments had been devastating, only allowing him to feel hatred to the cause of it.

Doug pulled the small scarf he had purchased from a neighboring food vendor in the Sech's Territoy closer around his mouth, dispelling his thoughts in order to focus on keeping warm.

Curling his hand into a fist, it reminded him just how cold it was outside, a custom he still wasn't entirely used to having lived most of his life along Autumn Road.

Throughout his training within the Sech's Territory he had been aware of the cold, managing it the best he could but it hadn't felt nearly as biting as the weather here. The air wasn't as dry as it had been within the territory, the cold that Selphia possessed seeped through many layers to chill the bone, uncaring of what furs or lined clothes one wore.

A stab of longing for his village struck Doug, it had never been to hot or cold there, always being perfect smithing weather every day of the year. For a moment, he let himself remember the smell of smelting ore, the sound of hammers repeatedly folding swords as he'd observe his father's nimble fingers work to place precious jewels within rings.

Now…

Resentment ran deep at the thought that he would never be able to learn how to do such things. Just like his home and his people, his clan's traditions and livelihood were taken from him, robbing him of a life he was meant to have due to a despicable beast.

Tugging his bag a bit tighter across his chest, Doug entered the town gate feeling rather confused at the lack of guards as well as the fact that no authority came to greet him.

It was just past nine in the evening according to his pocket watch but oddly enough, no security was within sight, instead various villagers were talking in the square, too caught up in their own conversations to notice him.

Doug took pause to observe them, trying to pick out if any of them would pose a potential threat if he proceeded to the small white castle behind them.

From what he could tell, most of them were female save for a gentleman that appeared to be a doctor, a traditional white coat floating behind him, however as Doug continued to scrutinize them, a flash of black caught his eye.

It became clear to him then that the man who had trapped his attention was a butler. Tall with a muscular build, a head of blonde hair and interestingly enough, elf ears, but also in possession of a pure white patch that encircled his arm.

The patch was a telling mark of a fully fledged butler and he felt himself smirk, there was no doubt that this man was the only means of security to this town. It was almost laughable, despite his impressive title, Doug knew he would be able to handle him.

All he'd need was a well-timed opening and he'd be as good as incapacitated.

Disregarding the townspeople, he began to walk forward only to halt his steps once more as two more black coats proceeded to join the group. Steadily making their rounds, they began to pass out cups of something warm, steam rising from the mugs to tease the cold air as the laughter of the people soon grew in volume.

The setting felt too peaceful, too normal.

It was strange to think that such seemingly normal people housed and worshiped a blood hungry beast willingly. Or perhaps, they simply had no idea of what kind of menace they harbored within their own town.

Doug set to studying the newcomers.

They were much younger than traditional butlers, one male and one female and judging by the patches they wore along their sleeves they were still in training, presumably under the blonde elf.

Doug felt his courage slink away to the far corner of his heart as he further analyzed his adversaries in black. It was becoming quite clear now that the tiny dragon-worshiping town was indeed more protected than he originally thought.

After all, butlers were trained in all things. They were often tasked to be spymasters, worthy duelists as well as skilled cooks and housekeepers to any kingdom or home. Their training took many years filled with discipline and patience, any skilled fighter would have to be crafty to fell one, but three? Butlers were a kind of end all opponent, something akin to a boss, and Doug couldn't help but feel like the odds were now against him.

He wouldn't be able to get near, much less _kill_ Ventuswill with three butlers keeping watch over her.

Doug ground his teeth in frustration, this had meant to be a swift assassination with him gone by the rising of the sun but now it didn't seem likely. This particular foe was going to require time and his only preparation for this trip was having enough money for a single day at the town's inn as he hadn't expected to be dealing with much obstacle.

He had initially expected guards, but he was small and stealthy enough to get past most undetected, however, butlers were a completely different breed of security and having so many of them around would make this task much harder.

Doug reevaluated his potential options as he leaned against the post of the gate, still unnoticed by the townsfolk as they began to steadily disperse.

Various scenarios played out inside of Doug's head as he tried to think of a possibility that would allow him to dispose of the dragon tonight and escape unscathed. He still had plenty of energy for a proper fight but he would prefer to kill Ventuswill in her sleep, to sever her head quickly and disappear without commotion.

Sneaking up on a bulky dragon would be easy, especially since it didn't leave much room for her to turn around or dodge quickly inside a building. The guards also wouldn't be much trouble to get past, he could survive a scuffle in the event of getting caught and still manage to get the job done, his only concern was the dragon's trump card.

The butlers.

Even if he killed Ventuswill in her sleep, there was still a chance the butlers would hear the slicing of his blade, or the crack of bone as she was beheaded. One of them was an elf and their hearing was incredibly sensitive so it would be safe to assume that he would be found out even in the best possible route of killing her.

It was already risky enough having to deal with a trained butler and guards but Doug's chances of surviving the entire ordeal slipped to zero in the event that the apprentice's joined the fight against him as well. There was also the possibility of being spared upon capture, though he'd be arrested and eventually killed for committing treason against Norad's kingdom by murdering their Native Dragon.

Doug stayed stuck in the snow for hours, contemplating if his stand against Ventuswill would be worth sacrificing his life for despite the outcome of the situation.

He knew his village deserved justice, and that it was worthy of his life but something inside him shied away at the thought of dying, even a noble death.

He felt a flicker of hope pull at his heart, a tiny ember of selfish desire that wished to live a normal life outside of his survivor's guilt and this assassination.

How to achieve both of these goals however, eluded him.

Caught up in his thoughts Doug didn't notice that an elderly woman had approached him, only a subtle cough that sounded too stubborn to leave, caught his attention.

She was short, much shorter than him and very human. No elvish or dwarven traits to speak of though her eyes were so sharp that Doug felt surprised he hadn't noticed her just from the heavy gaze alone.

In that moment, it had crossed his mind to feel embarrassed at being caught off guard by someone so much frailer than him but try as he might he felt devoid of expressing much of anything.

"Young man, you've been standing out here for quite some time now. Are you alright?" The old woman asked.

His eyes darted to her blue ones questioningly, before flitting away, not sure how to answer. He hadn't been asked if he was 'alright' since the night his village went up in flames.

Raising a hand to scratch at the back of his head he felt his eyes fall back to the old granny only to feel a fierce grip upon his heart at her expression. The woman's eyes were alight with concern, and not just the kind that was feigned like he was used to seeing, it was surprisingly genuine.

An unwarranted image of his mother popped into his mind.

It was an old memory of when he was still a child, jumping recklessly into piles of leaves only to trip into one due to clumsy footing, his mother had said something similar to him, her expression mirroring this old woman's.

Pulling himself back into reality, Doug became awash with emotion as the blade of grief twisted painfully in his chest.

"I uh…yeah…sorry if I disturbed you." He sputtered, his throat closing in on his words.

He felt pathetic.

After all this time, he still felt like crying. No matter how many plans or preparations he made, a simple expression, a tiny memory, rendered him to nothing but a lost child without guidance.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night? The inn is closed at this hour." The woman stated plainly, though concern continued to lace itself through every word.

Doug paused at the question, attempting to think of something to say that wouldn't garner suspicion.

Naturally, he hadn't planned on staying in town for more than a day but with his plans being the mess they were, it made it difficult for him to go anywhere else.

"I don't," he blurted out, "I don't really have anywhere to go but I can't go back either…not anymore." Doug rambled, trying to keep his voice level.

A place to sleep was too small of a problem to concern him at present.

"Well then, you can stay at my home for tonight if you've no place to go." The woman said and Doug looked up, utterly surprised by the proposal.

"Huh?" Was all he could manage to say, he had figured she would stop pestering him once she got an answer out of him, not offer him a place to sleep.

"You can decide if you'd like to stay at the inn afterward though." She finished as she flipped her pink shawl more snugly over her neck and turned, intent on walking away from him.

"What? Listen lady, I didn't really expect you to take care of me or anything. I'm just passing through." He explained and the woman paused, turning her head to look over her shoulder.

"Call me Blossom, dear, calling me lady makes me sound old." She joked and Doug narrowed his eyes at her.

"Look…Blossom. All I'm saying is that I don't really have a lot of money, so there's no way I could afford to even repay-"

Suddenly he was cut off by a gasp from Blossom, a look of mock horror on her face that ignited a tiny flame of agitation within Doug.

"Oh my! No money you say? Well that does certainly pose a problem! You couldn't possibly stay at the inn later then!" She exclaimed and Doug wasn't sure whether her tone was exaggerated on purpose or if she truly meant it.

"But you know…my home is paired with a grocery store and these old bones find it hard to lift those heavy crates sometimes, especially in these winter months. If only a strong young man was around who could do that for me. He'd get free meals and board of course." She teased, winking at him.

Doug's eyes widened at the old woman's proposal, there was no way she was really offering that he repay her through just plain work was she?

A gentle feel of gratitude began to envelope his heart at the thought, but when he looked at Blossom, taking in her frail frame and bent posture he couldn't help but feel worried.

His stay in the town of Selphia was only meant to be temporary.

It would be easy to remain detached from her, after all, he barely knew her and while he most certainly didn't mind working in exchange for a place to sleep he couldn't help but wonder…

What would happen to her once he avenged his clan?


End file.
